


Goddess Smile

by LittleGrumblrAnna



Category: Harvest Moon, Harvest Moon DS Cute
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-04
Updated: 2018-08-04
Packaged: 2019-06-21 22:02:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15567276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleGrumblrAnna/pseuds/LittleGrumblrAnna
Summary: Claire reflects on her hard work and pays her boyfriend a visit. A simple HMDS:Cute fic.





	Goddess Smile

Frosted breath accompanied a sigh as the weary farmer looked upon her day’s work. Everything seemed to be in order as she stepped back and poured over her fields turned orchards. Gone were the days of livestock caretaking and toiling the earth, all barns torn down and animals sold off. In their place, carefully planted rows of fruit trees; apples, grapes, peaches, and oranges, all now carefully insulated for the winter. Claire brushed some stray hay from her coat as she took one more reassuring look that she had indeed covered all the roots properly. The dry, golden material was blanketing them from the snow she knew was on its way. An eager meow from the resident cat broke Claire away from her gaze as her pet was rubbing against her legs, begging for attention. She grinned at its cheekiness, surely only putting on this display in hopes of being brought inside to his food dish. It was her plan regardless as she picked the cat up just in time for the chill to sweep over them, a few flakes of snow whipping across the scenery. 

“It’s cold and it’s dinner time, so let’s get back to the house, hmm?” Claire unbuttoned the top of her coat and nestled the continually mewling cat under her scarf, much to it’s delight. They appreciated each others warmth as Claire started her march back to her house against the oncoming blizzard. She took one last look at her work before continuing, a wave of pride sweeping over her. 101 sprites, found. For the past three years she had put all her blood, sweat, and tears into fixing the idiocy of the local deities this land had caught her up in. She had just graduated high school when her mother suddenly passed, leaving her a farm and a hope that she’d passionately work on it for the good of said deities. Claire wanted nothing to do with any of it, thinking that her grief was manifesting the scantily clad, green-haired woman who claimed to be the ‘Harvest Goddess’ and all of her tiny followers. Only Claire could seem to see them so it made sense to ignore her pleading and sleep away the lectures.

It took awhile to come to terms of the situation. The day the goddess miraculously disappeared was also the day the local valley’s ‘Witch Princess’ rudely awakened Claire with a letter from the ‘Harvest God’ telling it was _her_ fault they all got sent away and it was her responsibility to get them back. She would later find out it was the god’s poor control over his temper that caused him to send all 101 sprites and their goddess away, but c'est la vie. She had already dedicated enough of her time to rescuing most of them, might as well get the rest. With all of them finally back, Claire decided to do away with what was required of her and instead make the farm into what she wanted; an orchard. Instead of stressing over a gaggle of animals and crops, a constant supply of fruit throughout summer and fall would be more than enough to live off of and easier to manage. She had earned this rest and decided to no longer associate with the deities and their followers, not allowing her life to be dictated by their petty squabbles. For the most part, they respected her decision and left her be, and she was glad for it, as if it was the first time in ages she was free to live her life.

And that life this evening, was to be spent at the Blue Bar as soon as Claire’s pets were fed and safely inside for the night. She whistled and her dog quickly answered, the three of them ushering into the warm house. Without removing her outside wear, she scooped the respective kibble for the duo and then was back out into the, now blustering, night air. The street lights in the distance flickering on revealed more snowflakes than Claire initially thought were falling, but she didn’t care. Creeping snowstorm or not, she was on her way. A fleeting regret of not checking herself over in the mirror pricked at Claire as the Blue Bar came into view, wondering if a quick run back to her house was necessary. No, it was fine, the wind was going to toss her hair regardless, and she wasn’t in the mood to get dolled up. Besides, she had already (finally) caught the eye of the Blue Bar’s bashful bartender. 

It was only a few weeks ago now when Claire ran into Griffin who was on his way to her farm. The weather was so nice that he’d decided to ask her out for a stroll, which was completely confirmed as a date via Vesta as she caught them on their walk to the waterfall. Claire wondered if he’d see the whole echange as teasing, as he usually did when she was being genuinely honest with her feelings, but this day was different. It seemed that all her flirting and advances had finally gotten through as Griffin sheepishly asked Claire if ‘girls her age were interested romantically in guys his age’, a light blush on his cheeks as he avoided eye contact. It took every bit of control for Claire to stop herself from bursting into tears, knowing that he shared her feelings. It wasn’t one sided, she wasn't being brushed off as tease, and Griffin was no longer brushing himself off as being too old for her. “Well, I’m interested!” Claire gleefully replied and Griffin, though taken aback, happily accepted her confession.

“Good evening, handsome~” Claire greeted Griffin who was attending no patrons and Muffy nowhere to be found. He chuckled at her forwardness, accepting a kiss from across the bar. 

“Careful now, if somebody walks through that door and sees us smooching, well, you know how fast word travels around here.” Griffin half-chided, obliging one more kiss before pulling away. 

“Pfft, let them talk! We’re not doing anything wrong.” Claire rolled her eyes, getting another chuckle from Griffin. 

“You won’t be the one needled until the cattle come home! But enough about me, what can I get you, Claire?”

“Hmm.” Claire leaned her chin into her palm. “I’m a bit worn out, so I guess something sweet. Surprise me?”

“You got it.” Griffin immediately reached out to various bottles and began his work. Claire loved watching her man do his job masterfully. A part of her jealous that she had never truly applied herself to her ranch, doing what she did out of obligation to the gods. Griffin treated his trade with respect and while Claire’s dreams of her orchard were coming to fruition, she knew that it was seen as fickleness by most of the valley. Why did she bother getting rid of her main income just to start over again? Of course it didn’t make sense to them, but their opinion didn’t matter. It was her land, and if she wanted an orchard, then she was going to have one! “Work tire you out today? What were you up to?” Griffin said as he slid the finished 'Goddess Smile' drink to Claire. 

“I was getting all the trees ready for winter, and just in time too!” Claire glanced to the window to see a blizzard was in full swing. “I didn’t think we were supposed to be getting snow this early…”

“The radio mentioned chances of a storm blowing through. Guess it’s why you’re my only customer tonight.” He sighed but wore a grin. “Not that I really mind…”

Claire giggled into her drink, taking a generous sip before setting it back down. “I’m surprised Muffy’s not here. Is she resting?”

“No, she’s on a date tonight.”

“No way! Who?” Claire almost squealed.

“The farmer from Mineral Town. What’s his name...?” Griffin wrinkled his brow.

“Jack.” She answered and took another sip. “I’ve talked with him on occasion, seems like a pretty nice guy.”

“Well, he’s taken quite a fancy to Muffy when she visits on her off days. He asked her out and here we are.”

“Good for her! He’d better treat her right, or he’ll be hearing from me! Purchaser of all my livestock or not, no one will escape my wrath if Muffy comes back in tears!” Claire finished the drink in one last gulp, as if to signify her threat was genuine.

Muffy, to both Claire and Griffin, was the reason they ended up the way they were now. She’d offer Claire encouragement when Griffin didn’t take her advances seriously and did her best to inform Griffin of his mistake of brushing Claire off. “Don’t give up, Claire, you’ll get through to him, I promise.” She told Claire one day by the Goddess pond, finding her discouraged. “Claire is serious about you, Griffin. If you don’t believe me, then just ask her yourself!” She scolded Griffin soon after, pushing him out of the bar and towards the path to Claire’s farm. The date followed and led to their current affections. They owed Muffy a lot and they knew of her previous heartbreaks, wanting nothing more for her to be as happy as they were. 

“He bought all your livestock? That must’ve been quite the purchase on his part.” Griffin pondered.

“Yep!” Claire confirmed. “He saw pampered produce and knew he wanted it. He’ll earn it all back by summertime and it’s more than enough to get me through winter, even after purchasing the trees and their necessities. If I earn enough next year, I’m thinking of putting in a winery. Do you think our tourists would be keen on having apple and peach wine grown and produced at the farm just north of the local bar?” She cheekily grinned. 

“Everybody would, not just the few tourists who trickle in.” Griffin reassured and happily played with the thought of going into a small partnership with Claire. Their chatter continued for another hour or so, whether it was more of Claire’s ambitions or the local gossip, their company filled the empty bar with warmth. It wasn’t often it was just the two of them, and despite the fact profits that night would only be Claire’s drink, Griffin didn’t mind in the least. “I think i’ll close up early tonight. Seems everyone’s hunkered down for the storm.”

“Oh… Alright.” Claire tried to hide her disappointment. She was ready to stay the whole shift if Griffin allowed. “Guess I’ll get out of the way~” She added jokingly as Griffin started towards the door. 

“I didn’t say you had to leave.” He smirked back at her as he flicked the lock. Heat rose to Claire’s face before answering Griffin’s expression with one to match.

“I don’t? Well, that’s customer service!” She lifted herself up from the barstool and met Griffin with a kiss and her arms around his neck. He responded with a hand on her waist, pulling her closer as the kiss deepened. The slight taste of grenadine on her lips mixed with her scent was enough to drive him mad, but he kept his urges controlled as he pulled away, Claire still clinging to his neck. 

“Claire… I haven’t really had a chance to properly say this yet, but i’m real sorry for not taking you seriously. I was so hung up on my own insecurities that I stomped all over your feelings, and I want to make it up to you.” He cupped her face with his free hand.

“It’s alright, Griffin.” Claire moved her hands from his neck to his face. “I’m just glad that I finally got through. You’re here with me now, and that’s more than enough for me.” She finished with a kiss. “But-” she breathed, a sly smile surfacing. “What did you have in mind?”

“Why don’t I show you?” Griffin answered by scooping Claire into his arms, much to her delight, giggles echoing through the bar.

**Author's Note:**

> Wowie, this fic has been a long time coming for me. Did you know HMDS: Cute is 10 years old this year!? 10 years have come and gone and I still adore Griffin just as much as I did when I first played the game. I've waffled on writing a long fic about his and Claire/Pony's affections, but I was never really able to get it out right. Finally, after all this time, I decided on a smaller 1 chapter fic that i'm finding is enough to satisfy me. Griffin doesn't get much love, but I want to contribute to his small fanbase regardless (even if i'm 10 years late!). He's adorable and a sweetie pie.
> 
> Some things for reference: I turned my farm into an orchard in one of my playthroughs and liked the thought of it narrative wise. I know grapes grow on vines and are protected differently in winter (I actually live in wine country), but as they're regular trees in HM, I just kept them as such. The 'Goddess Smile' is one of the 3 drinks you can choose from in an event with Griffin and I like grenadine a lot sooo... yeah!
> 
> Art by: https://www.deviantart.com/norree


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